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Brokers: Shed the Manager Role and Become a Leader

Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Think it would sound good to prospective clients? Suppose it would add some credibility to your business? Think it might garner respect from fellow Realtors®?

So, are you a leader in the industry?

If you haven’t noticed, the field is getting crowded with folks looking to make a living in real estate. Being a leader can help you stand out. But not only that, it can transform you and your business. In my role as a real estate consultant and coach, I’ve seen brokers reinvent themselves into leaders. This has become a true and pivotal turning point in their careers and taken their businesses to the next level.

But, what is a leader? Here are five characteristics you need to develop before you can be a true leader:

A visionary. While managers handle the day-to-day chores of business, leaders have 20/20 vision and a birds-eye view on industry indicators and market trends to see where their businesses are going in the next six months to a year.

A planner. Leaders can take what they see from that birds-eye view and translate it into a business plan that reflects market conditions and gets results. By December of this year, they have all of 2008 on paper and are ready to attack.

A collaborator. Leaders know they need help, and they can’t do everything alone. And really good leaders can identify, recruit and collaborate with people and other organizations that can add balance and effectiveness to their business.

An enabler. Great leaders enable their employees to reach and achieve more by getting them what they need to do their jobs. Leaders will stop at nothing to make sure their employees have everything they need to achieve personal as well as business success.

A motivator. Leaders instill a strong sense of ownership among employees. When your team members feel they own their job, they reach new heights of achievement and motivation. And leaders can get everyone to accept personal responsibility to get their jobs done, and done well.

I worked with a broker in Austin, Texas who was having trouble getting his team to feel that ownership. We made some adjustments, and he went from selling 80 homes a year to more than 600.

I’ve included a link to an article I think you’ll find helpful in your transition to leadership called “Five Steps to Leading a Team Effectively.” Take a quick look and enjoy!

Let me end on this note: Leaders aren’t made or born. Leadership is a choice. You can choose to remain exactly where you are today. Not everyone is a leader.

Becoming a leader is more of a personal journey than anything, and it’s not an overnight transition. It takes time, so be patient. Start by being aware of where you are and what’s important to you, understanding what your values, ethics beliefs are, and then creating a picture of what your business would look like with you as a leader, and not just a manager.

I encourage you to look deep inside and ask yourself if you would be happier, wiser and wealthier if you were a leader in real estate.

You might find a new you ready to surpass glorious goals and reach magnificent milestones you would have never thought possible. Believe me; I’ve seen it happen many times. And it can happen with you.

Bob Corcoran is a nationally recognized speaker who is founder and president of Corcoran Consulting Inc. an international consulting and coaching company that specializes in performance coaching and the implementation of sound business systems into the broker’s or agents existing practice.)